Dunwall Loops
by slayst
Summary: Corvo Attano and the Dishonored univers are joining the Infinite Time Loops.
1. Chapter 1

A brand new universe is entering the 'Infinite Time Loops'. Let's see how the imperial bodyguard turned assassin is dealing with an endless life and the craziness of the loops.

* * *

><p>1.01<p>

* * *

><p>It had been useless. All he'd done, all he'd taken upon him... to end up where it all started, holding the bloody corpse of his lover as she gave him her last words.<p>

Holding Emily's hand on her coronation day, leading her into the throne room, Corvo Attano suddenly ended up in the palace garden, his sword blocking an assassin's. It had been so confusing he hadn't had the time to protect the empress and was forced to watch her fall, again.

And now, he was in his old prison cell, eying his blood tainted hands. No, they weren't tainted, not yet anyway.

He may not understand that whole situation but maybe... maybe it had all been another test from the Outsider. If so, it was clear that he failed. Farley Havelock, the Pendelton brothers, Sokolov, the Lord Regent, way too many corpses brought down for his revenge. And in the end, he wasn't feeling any better, there was nothing but rats and plague.

But he now had a way to redeem himself, a way to make it right. He will bring them down, but he won't let himself be blinded by hatred and sorrow. Never again.

* * *

><p>1.02<p>

* * *

><p>Corvo was going crazy, he was sure of it. How many times already had he put Emily back on the throne?<p>

He had done it in every possible way, through murder and kidnapping, choking the whole Dunwall Guard Corp unconscious and even blackmailing the city officials. But there was no escape, he was trapped in this nightmare.

* * *

><p>1.03<p>

* * *

><p>Once again, he had awaken just in time to witness Jessamine murder, before being knocked out and thrown in his cell. Thankfully, getting out wasn't that difficult. Even if the Outsider kept on avoiding him since the first time around, he had kept the mark and all of his powers... but what was the point of it since he wasn't able to live on, or even <em>die<em> properly?

The tallboy explosive arrow had hurt badly, but he had almost feel relieved. He was out of this whole time nonsense, at least.

But as the cell was now testifying, he was but fooling himself.

He wasn't out, he never will.

* * *

><p>1.04<p>

* * *

><p>The keyboard was violently assaulted, the sound of keys echoing loudly across those parts of the divine realm. It was well known among gods that such an intense fast-typing never was good news. That the coding was currently done by none other than Hecate, goddess of the new moon, was even more worrying. For her, usually so reserved, to dive so deep into Yggdrasil's code... whatever was happening just <em>had<em> to be dreadful. How exactly she managed to work so fast on six different terminals, with nothing more than wings, was beyond everyone. But hey, Sleipnir was doing it with _hooves_ on a daily basis.

Ceasing her flight upon entering the pavilion, the white-wrapped goddess when straight for her sister.

"Cat, what's happening?"

"Sorry Lén, no time."

Séléné, goddess of the full moon, looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow. Like if saying "Seriously?".

"Come on, we can hear you complaining all the way from Zeus's, but you can't take five minutes to explain?"

"No Mis, I can't. The window's closing fast." replied Hécate, her eyes going from screen to screen.

"What window?" asked said Mis, better known on Yggdrasil as Artemis, hunt goddess and last of the moon sisters.

"Ho, you're making a fused-loop for this new anchor of yours."

"Really?"

"Indeed."

"Then why the rush Cat? He will have one soon enough, why forcing it?"

"He still knows nothing and is slowly going mental."

"On a scale from sanitarium to Sakura Syndrome, how mental are we talking about?" said the most human-looking one. It was weird coming from a woman clad in leather armor, holding a long bow and messing with the hawk feathers stuck in her dark-brown hair.

"Bloody murder mental." answered her anthropomorphic bird of a sister.

"Why didn't you just pop in there?"

"I'm restraining myself too much when lowering to so few dimensions and that xylem of a Leviathan is powerful enough to keep me out. Beside, the whole loop is kinda fuse- and variant-proof, it keeps going baseline."

"So you're forcing it for him to meet other loopers."

"Pretty much."

"Well, let's do it."

"Mis?"

"I'll handle that mark data. Lén, in the meantime, keep the Leviathan at bay."

"Got it." said Séléné before going on her own computer, her great white wings folding themselves behind her back.

"Girls..."

"Stop the drama and focus on your quantum matrix Cat."

"Oh, right. And Lén, watch out for his Outsider."

"Already quarantine him."

"Neat."

* * *

><p>The howl was horrifying, like a thousand voice crying their despair. The twisted body and ghostly white mask only add to the atmosphere.<p>

"Step aside, I'll handle him myself."

"Ai, Attano-taicho."

* * *

><p>"The Seireitei, seriously?"<p>

"Wouldn't it had been better to send him to another loop? Like Equestria, or even Berk?"

"He's not prepared to swap body... and he would have been bored anyway."

* * *

><p>1.05<p>

* * *

><p>Corvo blinked, sorrow assaulting him as he was to watch Jessamine die once more.<p>

But instead of blood, he catch a glimpse of orange as a fist to the chin sends him flying backwards. Hitting the dirt wasn't pleasant, but it was a welcomed new sensation, given the blue cloudless sky offering itself to his eyes.

What was happening? Where was he? And who was he fighting?

"Awake now?" said a cheerful voice.

Picking himself up, Corvo saw an orange-headed teenager in a weird black dress. And the guy was beaming with joy.

"Took you long enough, I was afraid Aizen would come before you got out of it."

"Who are you?"

"Just give it a minute, it's coming."

"What is?"

"In-loop memories. You should get them any minute now."

"In-what?"

"Oh boy, you're new. Okay, stay right here. I'll get us a nice little vacation and give you the speech."

Saying that, the teen seems to... vanish in a burst of speed.

A shunpo. Wait, how did he knows that?

* * *

><p>"So... a broken tree." deadpanned the ordinarily empress's bodyguard.<p>

"Yep."

"... What now?"

The shinigami substitute though it through for a few second, before making up his mind. "Well, you got the 'Welcome-to-the-Multiverse' speech. Since you're replacing Byakuya and judging from what you told me of your baseline, there's no need to annoy you with kenjustu or kidô. So let's start with 'subspace pocket 101' and move on to 'ping for dummies'."

Corvo Attano smiled, for the first time in forever.

"Let's."

* * *

><p>1.06<p>

* * *

><p>Three unconscious smugglers, brought down entirely through spiritual pressure in a single second. As that Kurosaki fellow had predicted, Dunwall citizen weren't ready to support this kind of energy, especially with his captain-level reiatsu. It was now time to see if he had been correct on <em>that<em> too.

* * *

><p>"So you convince them, that's a relief. Thank you for your kindness, pretenders are way too eager for their own good." stated Granny Rags with a small smile.<p>

It made the old blind women seems almost friendly. But Corvo was beyond that now, he knew too well _what_ she was. A horrid witch, feeding upon Void magic and human flesh to stay _mostly_ alive.

And he hadn't yet met a single undead who would not succumb to his fairly-new power. Fairly, considering it through a shinigami lifespan.

"Split, Keimei."

Good thing that a zanpakuto was soul-linked. His subspace pocket was still too small to store anything other that his copy of 'Looping Tips, by Hermione Granger'. On someone as twisted as Granny Rags, a kônso wasn't an option. He'll purge her the old way, through cold hard steel.

* * *

><p>It appeared there was little he could do without her cameo. The sorceress had dissolved into rats the instant his shikai had struck her, and only her voice had stayed, lingering in the air.<p>

"So, the Outsider was right about you. Not only are you stealing his mark, you're also bringing the void to its knees, forcing it to fold upon himself. Beware stranger, for your powers may be your own end."

Corvo methodically crushed the few rats remaining in the apartment, 'till he couldn't sense any more. It was time consuming, but he had plenty. His end was nothing more that a new beginning.

* * *

><p>1.07<p>

* * *

><p>"Mom, what are those men doing on the rooftop?" asked the little princess, fear making her voice shake.<p>

Corvo simply walked to her and put his hands on her eyes. There was a brief metallic sound, followed by screams. Soon, the imperial bodyguard took his hand away from Emily's face, only to reveal an empty roof and her ill-looking mother.

For the local Anchor, Awakening early was always a good thing. Almost as good as a good supply of enhanced Spring Razors.

* * *

><p>1.08<p>

* * *

><p>"Mom, what are those men doing on the rooftop?" asked the little princess, fear making her voice shake.<p>

Corvo simply came closer to hug her, blocking her field of vision with his larger body. A brief buzzing sound and the imperial bodyguard let go of Emily, smiling.

"Corvo, what is this thing?" asked the little princess, pointing to the weird object that appeared out of nowhere.

"That's an arc pilon, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>1.09<p>

* * *

><p>The High Overseer Campbell heard a small gasp coming from Captain Curnow. Surely was he realizing that his wine had been poisoned, that death was coming for him and every other enemy of their new empire.<p>

Only one of the two men walked out of the meeting room. The overseers standing by the doors soon found that Campbell's glass had been filled with whale oil and small scrap parts. The result had been... messy.

On the office's rooftop, Corvo was raising his whine glass to Pietro's genius and arc pilon leftovers. This loop was going to be fun.

* * *

><p>1.10<p>

* * *

><p>"Great oak!" roared the new moon goddess.<p>

From the other side of the room, her huntress of a sister grumbled.

"You're spending too much time with Lokison."

"Hey, I heard that!"

"Planning on stealing him from Epona, aren't you?" chirped the white-winged woman, last of the moon trinity.

"Am not. Sleipnir's just doing me a favor."

"By being charming?" teased Séléné.

"Prince and stead, all in one." add Artemis.

"Hush you. And no, he's making a Mobius Patch for Corvo's loop to work properly. It should lower the baseline occurrence and allow more fused-loops."

"That's great, but it doesn't justify bad-mouthing." point Artemis.

"I just loaded a beta version to see how it would work out, but that chlorophyll of a Void is echoing with the subspace pockets."

Séléné narrowed her eyes her sister's screen where data kept on shifting. Then she saw it.

"Oh, it's gonna be good. Come Mis, you can't possibly miss that one."

* * *

><p>The Leviathan was feeling a strange disturbance in the Void, like it was confined... somehow more crippled than usual. The great whale suddenly saw a small burst of light and something that looked like a severed hand coming out of it.<p>

Corvo Attano pulled his whole arm out of his subspace pocket and eyed what he had caught... his mind went blank as the loop crashed.

* * *

><p>Nothing much to say here.<p>

1.01 - Let's get it started.

1.02 - It's getting old.

1.03 - Here, take a bullet.

1.04 - A crazy Corvo ? Nah, we would have known it.

1.05 - Putting him in place of Byakuya was convenient, but I keep thinking he would have been way more efficient in Soi Fon's shoes.

1.06 - 'Keimei' means 'dawn' and 'Split' is because of .. reasons. Don't worry, everything will be explained later.

1.07 - Watch where you're walking, you might hurt yourself.

1.08 - Oh, stop that, it tickles.

1.09 - Remember guys, alcohol is bad for your health.

1.10 - Crashing cetacea, though it was appropriate.


	2. Chapter 2

A brand new set of loops, served hot on your doorstep with a little croissant.

* * *

><p>2.01<p>

* * *

><p>The crash had taken him by surprise. After all, it's not everyday that you witness a whole dimension collapsing from the loss of her cetacean of a living-core. But he just checked his subspace pocket and it was working just fine, so he should be able to do what he'd wanted to do from quite a few loops already.<p>

* * *

><p>"Lord Morgan Pendleton?"<p>

"What do you want soldier?" asked the impudent man.

"I am to escort you out of the club."

"What? Why?"

"The new owner wants you to leave the place immediately."

Utter shock appeared on the crazy twin's features. "New owner? What the heck are you talking about? Prudence would have never sold."

"Madame Prudence was proved guilty of using and disposing of clients possessions. Consecutively, she was arrested and taken to Coldridge Prison. Betty is now in charge of the club as requested by the buyer. Now follow me good sir, or I will have to resort to violence."

* * *

><p>Buying the Golden Cat had stripped him of nearly two million coins, but the look on both of the twins's faces as they were dragged out of <em>his<em> building was just priceless.

Maybe next time, he'll bribe Daud and his men. Working with the assassin's guild would probably be a good experience.

* * *

><p>2.02<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey Cat, is your Mobious patch working yet?"<p>

"Yes and no, Mis. It did enhances the loop accessibility, but the pocket's still leaking in the Void."

"And there's nothing to do about it?"

"Nope."

"Harsh."

"Nah, it should be fine. Sleipnir tweaked it a little so that it won't crash the loop anymore and added a protocol to the local pockets-chart to go and chain the Leviathan to the Void if a connection is made with it."

"_If _it's made?" said Séléné, raising an eyebrow.

"Happening randomly, right?"

"Sadly, yes. The leaking probability was around 40% on each new iteration."

"Four chance out of ten on each loop? That's high."

"Well, I manage to lower the odds, but only to a 12% occurrence chance."

"Better, but still..."

"Yep."

"And knowing that it concerns local and visiting loopers alike..."

"Ok, I'll get the popcorn. It should be fun."

"Maybe not so much for Corvo." giggled the hunt goddess.

* * *

><p>The royal bodyguard was unamused. His pocket was glitching again and … it happened.<p>

"Drop it."

"Hooo, you're not funny Corvo. You should take one, that crystal cider is really good stuff. Man, I miss the living world sometimes."

"Seriously, drop it."

What was that damn Outsider thinking, downing his whole stash like this?

'Remind a former human of what he loosed by ascending to godhood' was so going on his 'no-to-do-ever-again' list.

* * *

><p>2.03<p>

* * *

><p>Coughing blood, the empress's face twitched nervously. But despite her obvious pain, her eyes were focused, like in an attempt to carve her trusted emissary's face in her mind.<p>

"Corvo... It's all... coming apart. Find Jessamine. Protect her. You're the only one. You'll know what to do. Won't you? Corvo?"

With those last words, Empress Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin died in her bodyguard's arms.

Well, that was a first.

* * *

><p>2.04<p>

* * *

><p>"High Overseer Campbell?"<p>

"What do you want?" barked the corpulent-looking plotter.

"There is a rather urgent matter that we need to discuss."

"What kind of matter?"

"It's really sensible information over the empress's murder, sir. Can't we talk more privately?"

Letting out a sigh, the bulldog-headed man weighted those words for a brief moment, before a glint of malice proving some twisted logic appears in his eyes.

"Fine, follow me"

* * *

><p>"So, what is that so urgent information you want to talk about?" asked Campbell as his secret room's door closed in a rustling sound. It was fine leading the man here, as he'll never live the place. Not alive anyway.<p>

"That's a nice lair High Overseer. Seriously, I love it."

"Stop goofing around and split it out."

"Split here? That would be terrible, the place is spotless. Well, except for that mattress over there, but I can see why. Seriously, ain't your lady friends cold without their clothes on?"

Grabbing the way too cheerful overseer by the collar, Campbell hissed. "Tell me all you know of the empress's murder before I loose what little patience I have left."

"Geez, cranky."

"I'll have you hung." he stated in a low angry voice.

"Doesn't matter, you'll paid for that little stunt you pulled with the Lord Regent."

He knew, that little jerk of an overseer knew.

"How can you know anything of it? There were no witness, Daud's man made sure of that."

"Come on, you're hiring hex-powered assassins to get Jessamine Kaldwin killed ans you seriously expect that nobody will figure it out? Since us overseers are formed to hunt suck Void freaks, you must really think lowly of your own men to hope we will be blind enough to brush it off, High Overseer."

"You want to know what I think of you? You're but cannon folder and you'll die as such. Don't worry, we'll bury you in a sweet coffin as a town's hero."

Still holding the impertinent fool by the neck, Campbell's other hand closed on his sword handle and drew it out in a swift motion. In the next second, the blade struck down.

But no blood was shed, as a glowing hand had came up to block the sharp metal. Mouth gaping, the High Overseer was wondering how it was possible, when he heard a faint chant coming from behind the man's mask, in a voice as cold as ice.

"Hado 90: Kurohitsugi."

As his body and soul were crushed by the time and space disturbing field, he could only cursed his luck. Why did it had to be a Void zealot?

Corvo smirked as the dark coffin vanished. The overseer outfit was a keep.

* * *

><p>2.05<p>

* * *

><p>Coughing blood, the empress's face twitched nervously. But despite her obvious pain, her eyes were focused, like in an attempt to carve her lover's face in her mind.<p>

"Corvo... It's all... coming apart. You're the only one. You'll know what to do. Won't you? Corvo?"

With those last words, Jessamine Attano born Kaldwin died in the arms of Lord Corvo Attano, widower Dunwall's Emperor.

Well, that was a first.

* * *

><p>2.06<p>

* * *

><p>"Excuse me Piero, can you craft me something?"<p>

"Sure Corvo, what is it that you need?"

Said man only extended his arm and put a blueprint on the workbench. The engineer took it and his eyes widened at the sketches.

"Those are Tallboy-making instructions. Where did you get those?"

The assassin only grinned. It would be a really diverting loop.

* * *

><p>2.07<p>

* * *

><p>The thin but well-built man was glaring at him, left hand on his machete's handle and right hand fingers playing with his pure Franz-Josef styled beard.<p>

"So newbie, why joining us?"

"Just feel like it."

The stare was traveling him, from head to toe, like if it was scanning his whole soul. Would have been funny if it was, just to see the man's reaction.

"Well, you do seem like a capable guy and I like hot-headed minions. Just try not be be too hot-headed, or I'll have to cool you out of it."

Slackjaw raised his arm, presenting an open hand. As Corvo was taking it, the criminal smiled.

"Welcome to the Bottle Street Gang."

* * *

><p>2.08<p>

* * *

><p>Coughing blood on the river of raven hair lightly touching his skin, the emperor's face twitched nervously. But despite his obvious pain, his eyes were focused and his breath was steady, like in an attempt to carve in his mind the delicate curves made by the flow of tears on his trusted emissary's face.<p>

"Reaven... It's all... coming apart. Find Emile. Protect him. You're the only one. You'll know what to do. Won't you? Reaven?"

With those last words, Emperor Jessar Kaldwin died on his bodyguard's lap.

Well, that was a … well no, gender bender _do_ tend to happen. Just... never on such a scale before.

* * *

><p>2.09<p>

* * *

><p>Awakening in Dunwall prison, Corvo opted for good old murders. The not-so-subtle way of crossbowing and cutting through all of this curing-the-city-of-it's-madmen crap once in a while was keeping him in shape. But this time around, it would be grandiose, gory... and furry. The Outsider's mark started to shine.<br>The evil smile Corvo displayed quickly died as his summoning ended and he felt a high-powered ping spread across the city.

* * *

><p>The Anchor was confused. Since his time in the Bleach universe and his crash-course on Fused-loops, he'd expected to introduce fellow loopers to his home loop... but why his very first visitor just had to be that weird?<br>"I kill or incapacitate all of them in the next couple of days, bring Emily back on the throne and we're pretty much done. Any question?"  
>The white bunny replacing his usual Devouring Swarm shook his head, took what was clearly a sword-shaped carrot out of his subspace pocket and hopped out of the cell. The screams soon followed.<p>

* * *

><p>2.10<p>

* * *

><p>"Mom, what are those men doing on the rooftop?" asked the little princess, fear making her voice shake.<p>

Dunwall's protector was about to walked to her when the men suddenly vanished out of reality in a bunch of swirling vortex. As surprising as that was, any questions the witnesses may had were cut short by the opening of what looked like a portal made of Void energy.

"Corvo Attano, do you mind explaining what's happening with time? " asked the well-dressed man floating out of this dimensional gateway.

With growing dread, the little heiress babbled "Who's that?".

"_That_, Emily, is the Outsider."

The little princess could swore she heard him mutters "And he's ruining my fun_ again_."

* * *

><p>2.11<p>

* * *

><p>The royal bodyguard was glad of this whole time-loops situation. In a life of violence and betrayal, Corvo had managed to stay sane and pick up a few hobbies because of the extra time he had. One of said hobbies was fine art.<p>

For quite a few loops already, his subspace pocket was large enough for him to hold onto Sokolov's paintings. He had every important Dunwall personalities, a few representations of the Void, the Leviathan and even the Outsider, as well as a few paintings of himself in and out of his assassin's mask. But the one he cherished the most was the one portraying Emily's coronation. The loop had lasted long enough for Sokolov to finish his work and for Corvo to grab it and stuff it in subspace.

But today, with this little twist from the loops, his private collection was gaining a new piece which was replacing _Empress Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin's Coronation_ as his favorite art.

"How … how can you know?" asked in a small whisper the man holding his target at knife-point in it's very own office. His hands were shaking as his mind tried to make sense of the portrait displayed before him.

"I'm in your head, Corvo" answered the paint-stained artist in a raspy yet happy voice, so unlike his usual one.

His "_Unmasked Shadow_" was truly a masterpiece and the look on his unawake self was _so_ worth it.

* * *

><p>2.12<p>

* * *

><p>"Excuse-me, is this place taken?" asked a teenage girl from behind a bangs of blond hair.<p>

From the very first loop, Corvo Attano had always found Awakening disturbing. You were minding your own business, such as leading Emily through the palace's throne room or getting shot at by overseers, when the loops come crashing in to throw you around like a ragdoll.

As his own loop usually starts with Jessamine's murder, facing what looked like an eleven year old girl with a weird accent was highly disturbing in itself. But what was even more disturbing was that he was himself a young lad. But hey, after all these loops, after once finding himself trapped in a female version of his body, and even in Sokolov's one, he was quite glad that he_ only_ got rejuvenated this time.

Before he could tell the girl that no, the seat was not taken by anybody else, Corvo felt a massive ping rushing over him. It had even more energy to it that the one done by the weird white rabbit. He almost felt like he was back in the Seireitei, with so much power flooding him in a split second. Pinging back with reiatsu and a small touch of void energy, Corvo apologized to the girl and left the wagon he was in. From his ping, the local looper had most likely realized that the imperial protector was a fresh newcomer to the loops, for he or she (or it, if he trusted Kurosaki) was now flaring reiatsu in huge waves. Like a fly drawn to a light source, except that he was no fly and the light source was_ a freaking lighthouse_, he was leaded to a new wagon on the other end of the train. Opening the door, he met a smirking glass-wearing guy with a lightning-like scar on the forehead.

They shared a warm handshake, as the local looper introduced himself. "Harry Potter, Anchor of the Hogwarts Loop."

"Corvo Attano, Anchor of the Dunwall Loop." replied the royal bodyguard.

* * *

><p>Hope you liked it.<p>

2.01 - Economy's awful but so useful too.

2.02 - Pocket leaks will be a thing here, expect it in the future.

2.03 - Just a small swap.

2.04 - I soooo want a overseer's mask for Christmas, they look awesome. And Kuroitsugi, simply because I like that kidô.

2.05 - No Emily's not such a bid deal. The game would have been so much easier without worrying for her.

2.06 - If only we could have take over one of those tilted exploding assassin, it would have been so much fun. Too bad.

2.07 - Well, what can I say? Unlimited smuggler alcohol.

2.08 - Female Corvo, a real beauty I think.

2.09 - Fluffy death incoming.

2.10 - Void portals, never throw yourself in them without proper protection.

2.11 - Thought it was appropriate, since an assassin spreading blood stains on carpets and walls is as much of an artist as a painter spreading paint on a blank canvas.

2.12 - The opening of a whole set of Hogwarts stories.

See you next chapter for the continuation and end of Corvo's new Fused Loop.


	3. Chapter 3 - Harry Potter Special 1

Here you go, Corvo's Hogwarts Loop. Let's see how he's handling it.

* * *

><p>3.01 – (2.12 continuation)<p>

* * *

><p>The two teenagers had closed the wagon door behind them and seated face to face on the couches.<p>

"So, you're one of the Original Seven, right?" said the freshly Awaken royal guardian.

"Yeah, and you're the new guy Ichigo met." answered the local Anchor.

"You've seen him?"

"I was almost starting to think he had dreamed you." admitted Harry. "By the way, you really shouldn't go stealthy all the time. Trust me, you'll only end up stir crazy." and his look showed he had enough experiences to prove it.

"I don't, I'm blowing Dunwall up every few loops." replied Corvo with a little smirk. Those where good loops.

"No, I mean Stealthy, with a capital S."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know... not pinging for a loop duration, to hide that you're awake, and going along with your in-loop memories to maintain baseline. Like the Trek loopers."

That was confusing for the imperial bodyguard. "I pinged every fused-loop so far."

"Really? But nobody's ever saw you outside of Kurosaki. You're so hard to find and... wait a minute, how many fused-loops did you said you had?"

"I didn't said it. It's my second... no wait, third one. There once was that weird bunny replacing my rats."

"Third only? What about your baseline and variants?"

"Something like... ninety, maybe a little more." He wasn't one to keep score, except for when he was trying to rush Dunwall's purge.

Harry was agape. "Only three."

"Is it so weird?"

"Well, yes. You should be closer to twenty, or at least fifteen by now. There must be something wrong with your loop. But that's a first for me, you should see that with your Admin."

"I don't know who it is."

Harry sighed. "Of course, would have been too easy. I'll spread the world to all loopers and we'll see if we can learn who's in charge of your universe."

"Then you have my thanks."

"It's nothing, we'll have an interesting schooling together after all."

"Magic school, right? "

"Magic school." Harry smirked

* * *

><p>The weird hat was twitching in his head, going through his memories and thoughts.<p>

"_So, loop__ing. I__t must be funny. Not so much? Bad home-loop right? __Not used to having your mind red like that, Corvo Attano? __Anyway, I have to sort you __out__ and if I'd usually just put you in Gryffindor, Potter insists for new loopers to get my full analysis. Aren't you glad he went first?_"

"Just hurry up please, I'm not comfortable with seating on a stool in front of hundreds of children." begged mentally Corvo.

"_Funny how a fearsome assassin, loyal bodyguard, defender of the __poor__ and savior of a nation, is afraid of a bunch of kids. I guess you're not used to hang around any other than Emily Kaldwin. But she's not such a child anymore, after going through so much. __For the bravery she shows, she would __certainly__ go in Gryffindor."_

"Yes, she would." proudly stated the boy, unaware that he did so out loud.

_"You anyway? Your loyalty to the Kaldwin family is __greater__than anything__, you'll probably do well in Hufflepuff. As for Ravenclaw, it is so not for you. Outside of your paintings and your bat__tl__e strategies, you leave reflection and __headaches__ to Piero. Concerning the last house, you're not so much of a Slytherin. Sure, you're __highly__ resourceful, skilled and you can become quite guile when it's needed, but you're not se__e__king power and despite your position, you're more of a lone __wolf__ than a leader of men. __That is all and I would definitely sort you in Hufflepuff. But let me ask you Corvo Attano, royal protector... which house will it be?__"_

* * *

><p>"Hey, Harry."<p>

"Corvo? What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to know if you had any tips about my fellow housemates."

"So you just go and climb the Gryffindor tower in the middle of the night?"

"I Blinked up there, it wasn't that hard."

Appropriately, the Boy-who-lived-several-billions-times blinked. "Huh? What do you m... you know what, never mind, come in."

Bringing a heavy leather-bound file out of subspace, he stuffed it in Corvo's arms as the boy stepped in by the window.

"Every Slytherin in the castle, plus their family trees, personal thoughts and tastes. Memorize it all by tomorrow morning. Don't look at me like that, it's for your own good."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome. And please, ping before any other midnight break-in."

"Got it. See you."

And just like that, Corvo put the large tome in his own subspace pocket and as his left hand started to glow, jumped out the window.

Harry sighed, before grinning over the royal protector's behavior. That guy was so not wizard material it was almost funny, but with such a dark backstory, he had all the rights to be childish and let off some steam.

* * *

><p>"Mr Attano, what is this?"<p>

"A sleeping-dart, professor."

"And what exactly, tell me, are you doing with such a weapon in my class?"

"Merely trying to discover the components used in it's making. I'd like to try and enhance it if such task is possible."

Snape's twitched. "Ten points from Slytherin."

Harry could barely contain his laughter. First potion class and Severus was already taking points from his own house. Corvo was good.

* * *

><p>"Such a disgrace to our house, you shouldn't be allowed to remain in Slytherin. You're a filthy mudblood who's flunking all his spells and will never get anywhere. No ambition, no power, you're nothing."<p>

Turning his head with disdain, Malfoy tried to reach to the main hall, 'tried' being the main word. A pair of arms warped around his neck and he blacked out. He came to his sense two hours latter, hung by his robe on the top spire of Hogwarts's main building. It took one more for him to get noticed and half that time to bring him down (sadly, in a nonlethal sense). Without proofs, the poor boy simply chose to avoid Attano for the rest of the year.

* * *

><p>"Corvo Attano, what exactly are you doing?"<p>

One could say that Professor McGonagall was a complaisant woman, and that one would be right. But it wasn't an excuse to mess with her.

"Only trying to understand why my wand's malfunctioning, professor."

"If a transfiguration is going wrong, it is the wizard's fault, not his wand's. As such, robbing miss Greengrass of her own won't help you on that matter. 20 points from Slytherin."

Corvo could only though that it wasn't really fair. It was by all odds his wand's fault if every spells he tried where producing rats and crows.

* * *

><p>"Hey Corvo, where are you going?"<p>

"Detention."

"Again?" mocked Tracey Davis. "What did you do this time?"

"Probably something stupid." stated Daphney Greengrass, who was still rather unhappy about every wand-theft attempt.

Corvo frowned, before answering "I cast a morphing spell on Professor Babbling."

His three fellow Slytherin where dumbfounded.

"Seriously?"

"Bathsheda Babbling?"

"Stupid _and_ dangerous."

"What happened to her?"

"She turned into a crow for a few hours. She's fine now."

"Ok, stupid and harmless then."

"Hey, it's _her_ fault. She ran at me in the hallway and insisted on having me for her next class."

"How is that making it her fault?"

Bright red, Corvo shouted "It just is, stop bugging me. Thanks anyway, now I'm late, she'll probably have my head and it's a really painful way to die." And he knew what he was saying.

Sprinting to the Ancient Runes classroom, Corvo kept on mumbling. Of course it was her fault, that damn teacher had to look _just_ like Jessamine. And since she'd clung so hard to his arm to 'have a good look at the left hand she'd heard so much about', he knew for sure that she was like her. But he was in an eleven year old body, and it was frustrating.

* * *

><p>How can he peep on the girl's dormitory? Was he not ashamed of himself?<p>

"Oh, sorry Hermione, wrong window."

At that, the young witch's blush disappeared and she drew her wand (looked like she was sleeping with it) out of her black frilly and rather transparent nightdress that no girl that age should wear, ever. The boy, Attano, was a Slytherin. That could only means one thing. "You're after Harry, right?"

"I'm looking for him, but only to ask him a little something."

"And what would that be?"

"If once that Voldermor's pet is out, I have to give the Philosopher's Stone back to Mr Flamel or if I can keep it, since it is a fake one."

"Wait, what?"

Too late, he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Okay, why did you hit me?"<p>

"Because you keep on startling 'Mione."

"Not my fault she hanging around half-naked. Besides, I'm not interested in teenage girls and I'm already taken... most of the time, anyway."

"And you forgot to ping for the fifth time."

"Okay, that one's on me. But come on, I was in a hurry."

"Why exactly?"

"Quirrell's turned to ash and I was wondering if Dumbledore would still believe me without his body."

"It's okay, it happens in baseline too. Though usually, it's because of me."

"Fiendfyre?"

"Mother's love, more effective. And you?"

"Shadow Kill."

"How does that work?"

"It consumes on death. No corpses lying around to alert other guards, plus it prevents the plague from running free in Dunwall."

Corvo being a murderer wasn't bothering Harry. He'd heard about his baseline from Kurosaki and had, as a matter of fact, done some nasty things too. Every looper did sooner or later. But how exactly did the guy bested all the protections set up by the staff?

"You didn't kill Fluffy, right?" asked Harry, concern in his voice.

"Fluffy?"

"The Cerberus."

"Nah, possessed him to move out of the trap door and left him to jump right into it."

"What about the Devil's Snare?"

"Stopped time and cut my way out the door."

"Hadn't see that happen since a few thousand loops. As for the key trial?"

"Saw the right one with Dark Vision and Blinked right to it."

"The wizard's chess game?"

"Windblasted the whole game board."

"Subtle."

"As always" smirked Corvo.

"Ok, the mountain troll?"

"Had my Devouring Swarm chew on it."

"Snape's little riddle?"

"Too easy. Not bragging, but I'm quite the expert on poisons and alcohols."

"Trust me, there are more spread across the Multiverse. Anyway, then was Quirrell. I guess he was surprised to find you in my place."

"He looked like a whale on the Grand Market, it was hilarious."

"And Voldy?"

"Muted by stupefaction."

"Neat. So, how did you dealt with them?"

"Explosive bullet. Messy at first, but it quickly burnt away."

"And after all that maiming and murdering, the 'Mirror of Erised' just rewarded you with the philosopher's stone?"

"I just really wanted a souvenir for Emily."

"Yeah, I though so."

* * *

><p>"Harry, you can't be serious?"<p>

"About what?"

"You can't let him into the compartment."

"Why?"

"He's a Slytherin."

"And my earring's just fine, thank you."

"Don't be a prick Ron, Corvo's not a bad guy."

"But he has to be, he's a Slytherin."

The Local Anchor really wanted to facepalm. Best friend or not, an unawake Ron was a pain in the ass.

"Ron, you're embarrassing yourself."

"You too, Hermione?"

"I admit that he's weird but... he's not too bad."

"Thank you 'Mione. By the way, I'd like to apologize for every time I surprised you by night, and congratulate you."

"Congratulate me?"

"Well, yes. You look criminally beautiful with that adorable nightgown of yours."

The girl turned an interesting shade of red, the Wesley gulped and Harry just nodded. He pictured quite well which one Corvo was talking about. And truth be told, even if the other Anchor was only fooling around, that nightgown _was_ adorable.

"Anyway Harry, what did you plan for the holiday?" carried on the visiting looper.

"Mess as much as possible with my dear family." And considering his experience, 'as much as possible' was on a divine-level measurement scale. "You?"

"Not sure. I'll just go home and see how it goes."

His worried tone told Harry everything. He had too few fused-loops and wasn't sure how to act toward his current family.

"Don't worry Corvo, it's gonna be fine."

Hermione, composing herself, try to asked what her friend meant.

The loop crashed.

* * *

><p>3.02<p>

* * *

><p>"It crashed?"<p>

"For the fourth time, YES!"

"But how?"

"I'm not sure, something to do with that xylem impermeability I guess. So, will you help me?"

Hephaestus lost himself in his thought for a few moment. Morpheus, then Hecate… where the other gods becoming more respectful of his abilities, or simply less prone to being assholes?

"Bring me the little patch Lokison created, I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>3.01 - First year out of seven, I'll be sure to bring the rest some other time around. Why Slytherin you ask? Because I find it quite funny to see someone screwing the house from the inside. As for Corvo's childish behavior, it's as Harry stated, simply to clear his mind of Dunwall's violence. And Hermione nightwear, because<em> I do<em> love to mess with her.

3.02 - Poor Hephaestus, he's already overloaded with work and nobody seems to care. Don't worry, I'll try to make it up to you.

From now on, I'll get back to small glimpses of loops. But every once in a while, I'll still do full chapter like that.

See you soon around Yggdrasil.


	4. Chapter 4

This new set has no reason to contain a cookie. Hence, it does not. It does have squirrels though.

* * *

><p>4.01<p>

* * *

><p>Awakening, Corvo faced the tainted walls of his very own cell in Coldridge Prison. Back to his home loop, once again.<p>

The royal guardian stood up and smiled lightly. Sure, he would miss Hogwarts and the Potter guy, but classes were starting to bore him and he was longing a good sword-fight. Beside, it wouldn't be his last fused-loop with him.

Quickly dumping his rags for a more convenient outfit, he then reached for his key-chain and sword in his subspace pocket, before going out the door with a nasty smile.

After the sparkles and almost-too-kind spells, it was time to get bloody.

* * *

><p>4.02<p>

* * *

><p>"Sorry to bother you Piero, but can you craft me something?"<p>

"Of course Corvo. What is it that you need?"

The royal bodyguard's only answer was to extend his arms over the near workbench, before dropping a blueprint and some metal parts on the oil-soaked wood.

Catching the plan, looking over it, the engineer froze as his eyes widened.

"Where is this coming from?" he asked with a shaky voice.

His only response was a beaming smile.

* * *

><p>Knees on the pavement, Dunwall's Anchor was whistling while filling whale-oil containers and dumping them in subspace.<p>

For three loops already, the city's streets had been sparkling in residual static electricity. The arc gun had taken three visit from the Outsider to three different Pieros for him to came up with a doable design, and seven more loops to make a 'non-exploding-on-firing' model. But Corvo simply loved the sight of small ashes heaps where once stood the city guards.

He'll eventually get bored of it. But right now, it was just too much fun.

* * *

><p>4.03<p>

* * *

><p>"So, time is repeating itself." stated Jessamine matter-of-factly.<p>

Her faithful guardian simply nodded.

"Those men" she turned her chin towards the three unconscious assassins on the floor "were hired by conspirators to kill me and kidnap Emily."

Another nod, concern showing on his face.

"And since you prevented my death, you want me to end this putsch myself."

Silence there, as if he was apologizing for what he was asking her.

"So you can go on a vacation!" ended the empress, almost shouting.

"Yes." shined Corvo.

Okay, so he was not apologizing, at all.

Looking at her personal bodyguard, then at her daughter poking the cuffed assassins with a stick, the Kaldwin's head let out a loud sigh.

"You better repay me in your next loop."

"I'll take you and Emily to the Southern Islands"

"Deal."

* * *

><p>4.04<p>

* * *

><p>After so many loops, Corvo was positive that nothing could ever startled him again. But he was so not prepared for what happened.<p>

The assassin had just casually escaped the prison without any bloodshed, and he had done so with his eyes closed, literally. Blocking his reiatsu and magic, to prevent himself to sense anything, he minuted his escape from memories only.

It had gone wonderfully, until he reached the sewer exit and got crushed in a bear hug.

"Corvo, you're here."

Okay, whoever that was, he/she/it had just crushed his rib cage.

"Ho Corvo, I don't know what's going on."

From the deep haunted voice, it was a he. Struggling, the royal bodyguard saw the assailant's eyes for the first time. They were swinging madly and adding to his face's porcelain taint, positively making him appears as a lunatic.

"They all forgot. All but me. But you remember too, right?"

He finally connected the dots and took full measure of what was happening.

"Please, tell me you remember." begged the almost-beggar.

"I do Samuel, but please, release me before you break my spine." he chirped happily.

"You... you do? Then... I'm not going crazy?"

"You're not and I'll explain everything, but it will take some times. Let's get back to the Old Hounds."

Gently pushing Samuel away, leady him to the boat, Corvo could only smile. He had every right to, as the man was now officially his very first fellow Dunwall looper.

Boarding, his smile wagered a little. Yeah, the boatman would need 'the talk'... and a good bath. Definitely not in that order.

* * *

><p>Corvo's meeting with the loyalists had been brief. Claiming the need for a good night sleep, he promptly got to his room, discreetly dragging Samuel along. Said man was now looking at him with begging eyes.<p>

"So, what's happening?"

The assassin decided to go smoothly on him..

"I'll get to it. But first, tell me everything you remember of before you Awoke."

Oblivious to the emphasis on that last word, the boatman started speaking.

"Well... you broke out of prison, came to the Houds, took care of the High Overseer, Lord Pendleton's brothers and saved Lady Emily. Then you kidnapped the royal physician and disposed of Lady Boyle."

"Which Boyle was it? Esma, Lydia or Waverly?"

"You never said."

Too bad, it would have narrowed the list of Samuel's possible first loop.

"And how come you don't know? I though you only killed the Lord Regent's mistress."

He had killed her? Well _that_ narrowed the list.

"It keeps on changing and... never mind, go on."

"Not much to say, I just dropped you at the palaces and was waiting for your return. You were in there for less than ten minutes when the whole city started to burst into flames in the distance. The next thing I know, I'm in the Houds and Admiral Havelock is sending me to pick you up."

Corvo sighed. So it was that loop. Among every loops he had gone through, it just had to be that one, how lucky of him.

"I though that with your connection to the Outsider, you had to know something. So I came to the sewer's exit, hoping that you'd remembered."

The royal bodyguard raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about the Outsider?"

"You kept teleporting around the Houds."

"Oh... right."

"Now, care to tell me what is happening?"

"Sure thing, but before that..."

Corvo pulled a brandy bottle out of subspace, along with two glasses and an ice bucket.

Samuel's jaw dropped.

"We're gonna need this."

* * *

><p>"And we get back every six days?"<p>

"six, seven, ten days, it depends. Usually, it ends during Emily's coronation, when Piero and Sokolov manage to make their antidote to the plague. But we do have extra time every few loops, thanks to variants. Hell, it once last until I died of old age."

"Then... why did it ends when I left you by the palace?"

"It was a crash." deadpanned Corvo.

"A crash? What caused it?"

"I was a little too excited. I wanted to go baseline for a loop, as I had cast _Diffindo _and _Incendio _on everybody for three loops straight, and... I didn't take the time to check on my pocket. It was definitely glitching, because I had lost all my whale oil stash after the crash, along with my custom arc pilon. The void must have turned into one hell of a barbecue."

"You blew up the Void?" whispered the boatman.

"It blew spontaneously, or I rather think that the Outsider played with the arc pilon and turned every altar across Dunwall into a blazing inferno. I swear, the guy may be funny but he's too curious for his own good."

Funny? The living embodiment of the Void? Since when was Corvo so... childish?

"So... what now?"

"Well, I was planning to spend the loop blinded."

"Blinded?"

"I know, boring. But since you're here, what about pranking the Outsider? The painted Leviathan is getting old and I need someone to try some new ideas."

"You painted the Leviathan?"

"Welcome to the loops." replied the assassin, smirking

* * *

><p>4.05<p>

* * *

><p>The newly appointed head of the guards was nervous. It was not everyday that you were promoted and convoked to the Lord Regent's chamber in the span of a few hours.<p>

But with the multiple disappearances across the city, and the servants gossiping of moving shadows all around the building from now three days, he couldn't resent his predecessor for quitting. In fact, he would have done it himself if not for the man's parting gift and the Lord's new policy. Nobody can quit, unless said person wanted to be beheaded in public for treason. And he really wanted to keep his head on his shoulders, so he had to bear with all the new responsibilities he'd never wanted, including the current summoning to the Lord's chamber.

Entering the bedroom, his worries flew away and he found himself dumbfounded at the display before him.

The intertwined and almost naked bodies of the Lord Regent, the Pendleton brothers, the High Overseer, the Royal Scientist and all three of the Boyle sisters in fine lingerie was not something you'd expect to run into.

Looking from atop the hall's chandelier, Corvo and the Outsider were enjoying the sight. Sure, they have had to hang around the palace until the Regent was paranoid enough to cloister himself in his room, plus mess shamelessly with his head until he had felt the need to call someone. But now that they had rearranged the scene, it was simply priceless.

As his partner in crime dissolved back into nothingness, the royal guardian could only smile. It truly was amazing what you could do with a glitching pocket and the Void's envoy willing to host all those peoples in stasis for a few days. Next time, he'd love to repeat the event at the Boyle's party. That would surely make a good impression for the guests.

* * *

><p>4.06<p>

* * *

><p>Waiting by the sewer's exit, Samuel Beechworth was casually flipping a coin. To any onlooker, it wouldn't have been so casual, as the boatman was storing it in his subspace pocket between every throw.<p>

Seeing his Anchor stepping in the sunlight, he stopped his training and climbed back in his good old Amaranth. The royal protector did the same, and the engine started to roar.

"So... Bad loop?"

"How can you tell?"

"It's seven a.m. and you're drinking bourbon." stated the boatman.

"True." laughed Corvo, sadness in his voice.

"Want to talk about it?"

A whisper exited the ill-looking man's lips. "Check your in-loop memories."

The boatman did... and nodded. He understood.

* * *

><p>Jessamine had died again and for the first time in forever, he had felt something. After all those deaths, all those murders and bloodbaths, a tiny spark in him had awoken. But he was feeling hollow, as rather than sadness, it had been relief.<p>

Since his fifth loop, he wasn't letting Daud's assassin startle him anymore. Blocking his sword on Awakening, he punctured his throat and quickly shoot the other assassins. Summoning a second sword from subspace, he stepped forward and as soon as they appeared, severed Daud and his last man's heads from their bodies. The plaza once more safe, Corvo turned to the empress and the young heir and proceed to hold them tenderly.

That's when his in-loop memories hit him.

Releasing his grasp over Emily, he summoned another sword and started to cry. He whispered in Jessamine's ears and her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry."

His blade pierced her gut.

Yes, he killed her. For the first time, Corvo Attano had willingly end Jessamine Kaldwin's life. But he was relieved, as in a way, he had saved her. In this variant, she was too cold toward her citizen, almost compassionless... almost a tyrant. Her similar behavior toward her own daughter had convinced Corvo that he was doing it for the greater good.

The Regent was rightful and more than capable to handle the city. Emily had been adopted by the Pendleton who were (surprisingly) owning an orphanage. If not for the Loyalists who were probably as bad as their late empress, and checking on Samuel as he was not capable of pinging yet, Corvo would have been more than happy to spend a few days in prison, for the sake of Dunwall. His only regret was that Emily had to witness her mother's murder by her father's hand. The loops sometimes had a twisted sens of humor.

* * *

><p>4.07<p>

* * *

><p>After murdering Jessamine, he had wanted to change his ways. For thirty loops, he had been pacifistic. But since this variant of the plague was inducing what Potter had called a Zombie Loop, Corvo was way too eager to use Devouring Swarm and call forth his trusted bone-cleaners.<p>

As predicted, it was working perfectly... but why the hell was he summoning squirrels?

* * *

><p>Aaaand cut. Perfect, I love it. It's a keep.<p>

4.01 - Hey honey, I'm home.

4.02 - What's better than a gun-sized arc pilon?

4.03 - Great deal for Corvo, it simply means that he gets two vacation loops.

4.04 - Welcome, little boatman. I still wonder how you'll turn over time.

4.05 - A Sleepover, nice.

4.06 - Killing for the greater good, not the easiest thing to do.

4.07 - As promised, squirrels.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello there good sir. My chief found this manuscript under a three years worth scientific and technical reports pile, next to a forgotten roblochon and a copy of Carlos's first cd. It was destined to you great-great-great-grandfather (the manuscript, not the roblochon or cd), but you can sign the register for him, I'm sure he won't be upset. Aaaand there, thank you. Hope you like the quickness and seriousness of our delivery service.

* * *

><p>5.01<p>

* * *

><p>"So," he asked with a smirk, "busy?"<p>

"Morpheus?"

"You know Hecate, you should lower the sound or Zeus will storm in to ask who's playing Galaga."

"Come on, I'm taking a break."

"A break between what and what exactly?"

"Hush."

"And hushing."

"Who let you in?"

"Séléné."

"Of course. What do you want?"

The god dropped a small device on the moon goddess's workshop, saying "Your patch."

Oh yeah, she'd ask for his help with the Mobious Patch... but... "Already?"

"Sleipnir had pretty much done everything I needed."

"Well.. thank you."

"You're welcome." he answered, smiling smoothly.

"So, the Hogwarts's crash, you know why it happened?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't related to the patch, it was Corvo's fault. Okay, not his fault per say, but his mark's."

"What does the mark have to do with the loop crashing randomly?"

"Well, that's it. It's wasn't random. Here, I'll show you."

Morpheus plugged the storage device in Hecate's terminal and opened dozens of windows, displaying shifting texts and diagrams.

"You see this? It's the mark's data."

"I know, I worked on that before."

"But you probably missed that." he stated, pointing at a pair of windows where multiples ray of light where circling around a constantly changing set of numbers.

"I missed nothing." she pouted. "And what does the app monitoring the Void have to do with anything?"

"Look closely... there... there again."

"I don't see any..."

The goddess eyes open widly. "Wait, is it... resetting?"

"Bingo! Except for the Leviathan, the Outsider and whoever visits at the moment, the whole dimension resets every few seconds."

"Great. So what?"

"See it as a mean to keep energy. Unlike with Hogwart's magic, the Elemental Nations's chakra, the Seireitei's reiatsu and other powers out there, the mark's energy is not produced by the inhabitants's bodies or the world in itself, it comes from the Void. And because the mark powers basically reaps the energy from the Void, it makes the dimension flicker, dimension which then have to reset itself to get back to it's former energetic state. You see where I'm going?"

"The Void is microlooping to stay energized."

"And what do you think would happen if the dimension kept getting its energy drained and wasn't resetting?

Hecate gulped soundly. "It would collapse."

"Precisely."

"So what you're telling me is that when Corvo goes to other loops, where there's no dimension such as the Void..."

"Him using his powers draws on whatever power is making the loop goes straight, destabilizing it until the energy is irremediably lacking. In Hogwarts, he essentially eroded the whole planet's magic, which cause the loop to crash."

Hecate staid silent for a moment, before grumbling "A crash-inducing powerset. What did I do to merit such a loop?"

"You pissed Zeus off."

"Those man-eating tuna loops weren't my fault."

"Zeus thinks differently." Morpheus replied, smiling, while she started to mutter some insanities. Or he thought it was insanities.

"So, want to see what I did to your little patch?"

"You manage to find a countermeasure?"

"Not really, there's nothing to do but warn Corvo to go easy on his powers."

"So... what did you do?"

"You know how the mark serves as a medium between Dunwall and the Void."

"And?"

"I enhanced the leak resistance. The chance of it happening is so low that anybody without a direct connection to the Void is virtually safe. No mark, no weak spot for your glitch to exploit, no leaking pocket."

"It will only affect Corvo?"

"And whoever replaces him."

"But, those visiting loopers claiming a mark, they'll surely try to use it back home. And with it weakening the loops... won't it cause crashs all across Yggdrasil?

"Don't worry about that, I asked Zurvan for pointers and made the mark read-only, like the Doctor's technology."

Hecate was speechless.

"Happy?"

"... Y... Yeah, thank you."

"Oh, that's peanuts. Check this out." he added, opening the Dunwall Loop's pocket-chart protocol. "I scrabble a little over there, add those few lines and run a dozen algorithms. Now, not only will it chains the Leviathan to the Void, but it will also identifies every object exiting the pocket through unusual means and duplicate it back in subspace. The Looper's stash will be safe, even if a custom-made Gundam is dropped into the Void and ends in the Outsider's hands, as the protocol is linked directly to Yggdrasil's ItemID backup. And unless a god-level relic replicates four or five times, the loop won't be stressed at all. "

Okay, it had been a lie earlier, Hecate had just been puzzled. _Now_ she was speechless.

* * *

><p>5.02<p>

* * *

><p>For as long as he has looped, the Outsider's reaction has always been a concern to Corvo. Coming to him for an explanation or to threaten him, helping with his mission or with pranking the conspirators, showing him a cold shoulder or sending Granny Rags after his head, the Outsider had done it all. Or so he though.<p>

"Corvo Attano, you broke the time continuum and upset the Outsider. We're here as his envoys to stop you and allow Dunwall out of this nightmare. Prepare yourself, for we will have no mercy."

The royal protector sweat-dropped as the five masked and colorful-skin-tight-suited Boyle Ladies's hands started to shine with Void energy.

Other loopers would have warn him of Power Rangers variants but, sadly, he was alone to face this unknown threat.

He turned heels and ran.

* * *

><p>5.03<p>

* * *

><p>Louise pronounced the last word of the summoning ritual and smoke filled the area. Light green ghastly vapor only, not the explosion-remains dust she used to make. She wasn't flunking her spells anymore, but she loved how a little smoking made everything seems more grandiose.<p>

As it cleared out, she saw that her current familiar was definitely not her boyfriend. The summoned man looked around him, confused, before closing his eyes and sending a ping. In it, Louise felt reiatsu, Hogwart's branch of magic and… something awfully familiar.

She stepped forward and gently grabbed his arm.

"Hold on, take a deep breath. The summon can make you Loopy."

She winked, he nodded.

"Hey, the Zero failed. She summoned a commoner."

"How sad."

"What did you expect?"

"True, she's the Zero after all."

That last mocking boy had barely finished his phrase when he stumbled and hit the dirt. As one, every head turned warily to the human summon and the weird crossbow in his hand.

Rolling his shoulder, the man justified his act with a small "His laugh was nerves cracking."

The weapon vanished as he let go of it and turned back to the pink-haired witch.

"So, where am I?"

* * *

><p>"Louise."<p>

"Corvo?"

What was he doing here? He couldn't have read the novel's 20 tomes, right?

"You've finished already?"

"No, but I have a question about Void magic."

"What do you want to know?"

"Can you teach me a few spells?"

That was unexpected. Many loopers wanted to learn about her world's magic, but few where the ones who asked about the Void. Fewer even those who do it without previously learning the other elements. In fact, he was the first.

"I'm afraid I can't. The Void element only responds to its current host, me. I can show you the moves, teach you the words, but you won't be able to use them."

"I'd like to try."

"Oooook?"

* * *

><p>Mouth wide open. Very unladylike manners.<p>

But Louise didn't care. All she wanted to know was,

"How?"

Yeah, that.

"Harry... Lina... even Twilight Sparkle. They all tried, but none were able to replicate it while not replacing me or another user. So how come you're able to cast Explosion?"

As his right was on the plane's joystick, Corvo's left hand was pointed to the side, glowing maliciously. As Albion fleet burned, the royal guardian grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"The Void and I are old acquaintance."

* * *

><p>5.04<p>

* * *

><p>Strolling by the sewer's exit while tossing his coin, Samuel felt content. His training was bearing its fruits and he would soon be capable of holding his trusted Amaranth in his pocket.<p>

Plus, he was to meet another looper. Even if he hadn't be capable of answering it, he had still felt the earlier ping and if the visitor was as skilled as Corvo, he was expecting him, her, or it, any minute now.

An elegant man stepped out of the sewer, black suit bathed in the morning light and tie blown by the wind, well-combed hair and finely chiseled traits speaking of high status yet eyes showing modesty, compassion, strength and great wisdom.

Walking toward him, Samuel presented his open hand."Welcome to the Dunwall loop."

welcoming the handshake, the man asked "You're the local anchor?"

"No, that would be Corvo Attano."

"I heard about him. You guys are fairly new."

"I guess."

"So, you are?"

"Samuel Beechworth, boatman."

The man grinned widely. "Bruce Wayne, batman."

* * *

><p>5.05<p>

* * *

><p>Emily Kaldwin was scarred. Completely and utterly scarred.<p>

Her mom had been killed, she had been kidnapped, locked in the Golden Cat ever since and she'd been told by that mean Madame Prudence that Corvo had been sent to jail.

So she was drawing. To occupy her mind, prevents it from remembering her terror.

"Emily."

The voice was soothing, yet she jumped.

Turning around, she froze. There stood Corvo, before a door floating in the middle of the room.

She didn't care how it was possible. He had come to get her, that was all that mattered. She rushed into his arms.

The royal protector allowed the heiress to cry on his shoulder for nearly twenty minutes. As her sobs quieted down, he grabbed her hand gently and stepped to the still-present door.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

Pulling the door handle, bathing the room in golden light as the door leaf revolve slowly, he whispered "Anywhere you want."

* * *

><p>5.06<p>

* * *

><p>Darkness.<p>

Pitch-black darkness.

An endless ocean of emptiness... pierced by an unlimited number of stars.

He was on his back, facing the sky, as blood and death were spread all around him. He should have wonder where he was, which loop he was in, why his body was bulky, why his canines were fangs and why he was seeing everything through a weird helmet, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

As saw-swords were crushing bones, plasma bolts melting flesh... he was there, in his Space Wolf armor, staring at that unknown ocean.

He had missed it. Sure, he had his boat... but Dunwall's riverside was nothing like the infinity of the sea, or the star ocean in front of him.

His thoughts were interrupted as an equally armored-soldier, minus the helmet, caught his arm and took him away from a viciously-aimed plasma bolt. He could only lay down, as two gray shadows darted past him and a symphony of screams joined the world's clamor.

"Hey there son, you're okay?"

"..."

"You're not going Wulfen, right?"

"..."

"I don't recognize you, what's you company?"

"..."

"Okay, I thing I get it. It may sounds weird but do you, by any chance, happen to live in circle? Maybe even remember another life?"

"I... I'm looping."

"Oh, so you _can_ talk. Was beginning to think you were mute. What's happening son, had a bad loop?"

"It's beautiful."

The spacemarine wasn't expecting this. The only thing he could think of was "Huu?"

"The night sky, it's beautiful."

The man looked up and his traits softened.

"It is. I'm dating it... sort of."

He left out a little sigh, before turning back his gaze to the still-down looper, all kindness taken away in a split second.

"Now's not the time soldier, we have a fortress to conquer."

* * *

><p>On latter loops, Corvo would often ask Samuel why he was raising wolf pups each time he had the chance to do so. The boatman's answer would always be "We take care of our own."<p>

* * *

><p>5.01 – With this update on the Mobious patch, the Dishonored loops are almost canonical. Yeah, I started to write them without checking the community on the SpaceBattle forum, so it's technically non-canon. Since then, I did join the community and am making everything to "right the wrongs".<p>

- The leak glitch was judged a big no-no, since '_Everything that's in subspace is safe!_'. I will now only concern Outsider'smark wielders (visiting loopers included), solely in Dunwall and only if the writer wants it (since it's happening randomly/when a snip is written.)

- The leak has been changed into a sort of item-centered Mikasa glitch, with the object being copied instead. I'll probably add a "leaked item's size" limitation in a further chapter. I know he would love it, but let's not give a nuke to the Outsider, ok?

- With the mark causing crash, Corvo's one year long Hogwarts loop is justified. I'll have him go through each year and other loops this way.

- The mark is read-only, kinda. Dunwall loopers can get and keep them, foreign loopers will only have them for the loop duration.

5.02 – The Outsider will always catch Corvo off guard. You too, by the way.

5.03 – They can relate to each other. Well, not so much, their histories are way to different. But the void is a constant, so why not?

5.04 – I just had to do this one. Since Corvo's not here and Dc's anchor is Nightwing, he's probably somewhere out there, unless a stealth anchor's running around.

5.05 – Familiar of Zero's World Door void spell. Making things so easy it's almost boring.

5.06 – With his past as naval soldier, I just couldn't make him anything else than a Spacemarine. As for the Space Wolfs, it's for commodity. Since Samuel can't ping yet, he had to be caught by an attentive enough person. As Primarch, Leman's probably one of the few loopers there who should know every single one of his soldiers and be able to observe the smallest thing out of place (here, a healthy yet paralyzed spacemarine).

See you soon, thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

Dunwall loops's new recipe: now with 100% more bees and 250% more awesomeness.

* * *

><p>6.01<p>

* * *

><p>"So Corvo, what are we up to for the loop?" asked Samuel, resting against the sewer's wall.<p>

"Nothing much."

"You're out of ideas?"

The royal bodyguard sighted. "I need a break. I just killed Jessamine and the sixth time isn't easier than the first fives."

"Oh, it's one of those loops. Want me to rescue Emily?"

"Nah, don't worry soldier, she'll be fine. It's a Pendleton's orphanage variant. Also, I'm planning a little something for the next Lady Regent variant and I need Piero to craft me a few modified Rewire Tools. So I'll go ask him and just cool down for the rest of the loop."

"You had a destination in mind?"

"How about the Void?" suggested an unfamiliar voice in a happy tone.

In less than a split second, Zanpakuto and plasma gun where out of subspace and pointed at the stranger.

"My, gentlemen, no need for violence."

"Who are you?"

The woman (cause she was undoubtedly one) waved the white-feathered wings she had in place of arms and bowed, smiling. "Hecate, goddess of the new moon, crossroads, witchcraft, necromancy, and matter-of-factly, your Admin. Now if you please, I need your assistance."

* * *

><p>"Samuel."<p>

"Yes?"

"Tell me again how come we're trespassing into the Void?"

"Well, our dear Admin baited the Leviathan with her sisters to keep him occupied, as she had to visit and tell us about that _Mobius Patch_ of her. But neither of the goddesses can escape the whale's grasp by themselves without major interferences and potentially loop-destabilizing results."

"..."

"So we had to use the leak glitch (which Hecate patched somehow) to enter the Void. And now we're about to kick the Outsider's butt, thus distracting the Leviathan long enough for the goddesses to flee."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Looking at each other, the two loopers sighted loudly before speaking in perfect unison.

"I can't believe I just said that."

"Can you do it again? I'm sure I misheard you somewhere."

Gods, this loop was too much.

* * *

><p>6.02<p>

* * *

><p>Despite being handcuffed with her back to the wall, Dunwall's heir glared. The assassin was supposed to host her for a while, they was little he could do but glaring back.<p>

"Don't resent me princess, it's just business."

"Business? That was a cold-blooded and meaningless murder."

"Well, not so meaningless. Your mother was failing her country and someone thought that he would do a better job. Will he? I don't know and I don't care, but I've been payed and that's what really matter." he said shamelessly.

"Because of your actions, citizen will die, the country will erupt in civil war. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"I'm not from here. Your problems are not mine."

"You made them yours when you kidnapped me."

Daud smirked.

"Oh, that's where you're wrong. I didn't kidnapped you and in fact, I don't exist."

The heiress lowered her head. How the man loved to see that expression on people. It meant that he had won, that they were accepting the defeat and slowly falling into despair.

He had little time to rejoice. The child suddenly appeared in front of him, out of her shackles, a weird sword flashing in her small hand.

Unable to react, feeling his life quickly reaped away by the countless blades, Daud heard his last words.

"Let me tell you where _you_ were wrong. You tried to scared what you assumed was a frightened and defenseless girl. I don't know you and I don't want to, but hear me out... _You don't do that in front of me._"

As the bloody corpse fell, the girl hissed.

"You were right on one thing... you don't exist."

Her white dress turning crimson, she stepped aside from the body and reaffirmed her grip on the saw-sword's handle. It looked ridiculous, considering the sword was as tall as her.

Reaching for her ear, she activated a little device.

* * *

><p>In Coldridge Prison, prisoners heard a buzzing coming from a nearby cell.<p>

"Samuel?"

"Not exactly." replied a girly voice. "I caught your signal and though it best to warn you. Take a vacation, I'll torch that little coup myself."

"... Really?"

"Sure, don't worry about it. And next time you'll see him, tell Beechworth that his primarch says hi."

"Wait, you mean that you're"

The link was cut.

* * *

><p>6.03<p>

* * *

><p>"Ow, honey, you shouldn't have done that."<p>

The assassin cursed.

Since she had met him, the crazy old bat had insisted on calling him honey and now that he he had tried to behead her, he was finally seeing why.

A loud buzzing sound erupted all around him and his vision got swarmed by black and yellow. The old witch's frantic cackle echoed around the lair as Corvo contemplated the distance separating him from Granny Rags's cameo.

The first sting pierced his skin... sucked to bee him.

* * *

><p>6.04<p>

* * *

><p>"Corvo."<p>

"Samuel."

"I was wondering something. How come you spend about one third of the loops murdering everyone and I never saw the plague spread further than the Lord Regent's chamber since baseline?"

"Because I'm getting rid of it." replied the guardian, as if it was obvious.

"... Come again?"

"I cleanse the plague first thing after escaping Coldridge." he answer, voice sounding calm but somehow cold at the same time.

"Okay, now I'm curious. How?"

The royal bodyguard simply held out his hand and grabbed the sword which appeared out of thin air.

"Your Zanpakuto?"

A sigh, then "Yes."

"You expect me to believe that you're personally taking care of every rat in the city?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then how?"

"Remember what I told you about how Keimei works?"

"You reap the evil out of the poor guy you're slicing."

"More like the embodiment of his corruption, but yes."

"And how is that relevant?"

"That's how the shikai works. Now, for the bankai... "

Corvo paused, tiredness showing on his face.

"Bankai?"

"The full release, Hakumei."

"What does it do?"

"It… cleanses."

"What exactly?"

"... E... everything. Good and evil, steel and stone, air and water, plants, reiatsu, flesh and bones... it's back to nothingness on several miles, Tabula Rasa."

From what Ichigo Kurosaki had told him, it's one of the most powerful Bankai a looper has ever inherited. Sadly and as anyone could have expected, it had its downsides.

"Then how... how can you cleanse solely the plague then?"

"Through willpower, a lot of it." and wasn't that an understatement. "Focus on protecting instead of burning everything, being a guardian and not an executioner."

There, the downsides. Never before had he had to focus on a task as such... literally hours of meditation in his inner-world before any purging for he risked erasing innocents and friends from existence on every use.

"It... it suits you."

Corvo shrugged... Keimei and Hakumei were basically him, but he really didn't like being reminded of that. That destructive side of his was useful on some loops, but the times where his unawake self had accidentally committed murder in Rukongai trying to contain his sword were still heavy on his mind.

The royal bodyguard tried to ease his posture and breathed out "I guess it does. Now excuse me, I'll... I'll... go... somewhere."

Samuel blinked...

His Anchor was gone.

* * *

><p>6.05<p>

* * *

><p>The boatman was furious, his face turning a dangerously dark tone of red.<p>

"Why would you do that?"

"I was feeling Loopy."

"What?"

Ok, so he wasn't Awake.

"Calm down Samuel, I'm sure Piero can fix it."

"_or not_" Corvo added in his thoughts.

It looked like the ex-soldier add unconsciously followed him as he stated "There's nothing left to fix, you blew up my Amaranth."

"Technically, it wasn't me, it was the oil." corrected the bodyguard.

"That you poured into the engine."

"But you brewed that." whined the city guardian.

"What?"

"Nothing. You know what, you're right, it was entirely my fault. Allow me to amend myself."

"And how would you do that?"

"_Reparo_."

* * *

><p>"So, we're good?"<p>

Samuel wasn't even close to mouth a single "thank you". He was way too busy, having passed out since the engine had started to reassemble itself.

* * *

><p>6.06<p>

* * *

><p>"Sorry to bother you Piero, but can you craft me something?"<p>

"Of course Corvo. What is it that you need?"

The royal bodyguard's dropped a blueprint on the nearby workbench.

Catching the plan, looking over it, the engineer frowned.

"I fail to see the point of such a thing."

"Oh, it has it's perks."

"Joinery isn't my specialty. Plus I don't have the wood for this."

"I had Samuel pick some at the sawmill down by the city docks. He's unloading it at the moment."

"... That would take a few days."

"I know. I'll wait."

* * *

><p>Samuel felt lost. What was Corvo thinking?<p>

"Why on Yggdrasil would you need a... how did you call it?"

"A pool table."

"Right."

"Well, the Old Hounds is a bar."

The boatman face kept the same expression of utter confusion.

"So?"

"Trust me Samuel, a bar isn't a bar without a pool."

A raised eyebrow, the situation was slowly getting out of hands.

"And you know that because?"

"That's not important, I just do." answer the Anchor. Maybe a little too quickly.

Samuel's ears caught the slight swing in his voice and he cracked a smile.

"There's something else, right?"

Corvo looked dark for a split second, before frenzy infested his eyes.

In a hurried voice, he splat "When a reformed Sith Lord bets on you loosing twenty games in a row, never assume that he's bragging. Ever."

* * *

><p>6.07<p>

* * *

><p>Emily Kaldwin was scarred. Completely and utterly scarred.<p>

She had been kidnapped, locked in the Golden Cat ever since and she'd been told by that mean Madame Prudence that Corvo had been sent to jail for her mother's murder.

She couldn't believe that, her father would never ever do that. So she was drawing, putting her heart onto the walls as dozen of swirling lines to occupy her mind, prevents it from remembering her terror.

"Emily."

The voice was soothing, yet she jumped.

Turning around, she saw a bulky shadow obstructing the door frame. The thing stepped forward into the room, allowing light to display it's features. It appeared to be a man, although man was an understatement considering the incredibly large gold-trimmed rune-engraved black armor he was wearing. The little heiress stepped back ever so slowly, unsure of this stranger's intentions.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you."

The fact that his attributes were hidden by a helmet disturbingly resembling a wolf skull was enough for her not to take the man's words for granted.

"Look, I'm a good friend of your father and I just want to return you too him. He would have come himself, but he got badly injured during his escape from prison."

Emily hesitated for a second, before saying "Prove it."

Despite the helmet, Emily could also saw the smirk as the man said "I wouldn't be against a little hide and seek with you, if it wasn't for the rather inappropriate location."

"That's not sufficient, every castle guards and servants know about that."

"But not everyone know of you having your parents swap clothes for you though it would be, and I quote, "Funny as hell."."

"Wait, how did you...?"

"Corvo spilled it out on our last drink night, although he would prefer not having. Now, will you come with me?"

The silent stretched... then Emily nodded slightly.

The armored man extended his gauntlet and gently caught the girl hand before heading with her toward the staircase.

"I cleared the path to the back exit, we should manage to go out easily. Oh, and don't touch the plasma residues eating at the walls."

Thanks Yggdrasil he had caught the girl's incredulous look through his helmet's back camera, he was sure Corvo would want to see his little princess looking so puzzled. Allowing himself a large grin, he quickly filled the video in his armor's backup memory systems were lies hundred of other files, many of whom where blackmail material. Every 40K Fused Loop he was going through was a blessing and illegally obtained Space Wolf armors, beside being clearly overkill in a baseline run, were useful in sooooo many other ways.

* * *

><p>6.08<p>

* * *

><p>"Corvo."<p>

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

The question had to be asked, since the two grown-men bodies were now back to their teenage years.

"That's the Hogwarts Express, Samuel."

"Oh, it's that magic school, right?"

"Yep."

"So, what's ahead of us?"

"Good old Voldy. It's gonna be fun." almost giggled the royal bodyguard.

"And after that?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask Harry what was to come, didn't want to spoil the surprise." he answered with a beaming smile.

The boatman which had been about to complain about his Anchor's apparent childishness suddenly went to his knees, quickly catching his head in pain.

"Corvo, I told you to stop pinging from so close. It's making my hackles rise, literally."

"Sorry wolf boy, forgot you were that sensible to the Void. Want to lay low for a while, or you're good to go?"

"I'm fine."

Three heavily magic-saturated pings rushed on them simultaneously.

"Okay, not so much anymore."

"Don't be such a prick, there was no Void in those and you're not allergic to this brand of magic. Now come on, let's not make them wait."

With that, The two Dunwall loopers walked out of their wagon, completely oblivious of the black fur-covered form sleeping under the seat they had just left.

* * *

><p>6.01 - A long awaited encounter. Also, Hecate can be terrible towards her sisters sometimes... but isn't that what brotherhood really means?<p>

6.02 - Leman Russ can be picky over certain subject. Child kidnapping and threatening is one of them.

6.03 - After the squirrels invasion across Yggdrasil, time for a bee invasion. So many stingers...

6.04 - There, the why of Corvo's shikai activation words and his bankai introduction. By the way, Hakumei means Eclipse and Tabula Rasa is a concept claiming that men built themselves not because of a twisted fate, but through actions and decisions... just what the game mechanics allows. Suiting, isn't it?

6.05 - Don't worry, it's just boat nectar.

6.06 - Corvo can be a bad loser, expecially when it involves a certain jedi knight.

6.07 - Because Samuel has to have some fun from time to time. His armor's depicted after this one : vignette1. wikia .nocookie warhammer40k/images/e/e7/SW_Wolf_ /revision/latest?cb=20120404090427

(please, get rid of the useless spaces around "wikia" and after "nocookie")

6.08 - See you next time for a second Harry Potter Special with Corvo, Samuel and a little black form who could be... basically anyone.


End file.
